AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Chapter 12
Jenna
Brett marches through the trees like he knows where he’s going and I have no choice but to follow him. I don’t want him to save the day, but I can’t stay on the beach in the rain. It’s pouring down so hard, and the thunder and lightning is so loud, I can barely hear myself think.
I watch his broad shoulders as he pushes through the trees, seemingly knowing where he's going. His dark hair is sopping wet, but he can pull anything off.
But I don't want to think about it. I don't want to think he's attractive.
I’m angry. Angry at him for ditching the rest of the group and getting us stranded because I had to go looking for him. I’m angry that he acts like he knows everything and I don’t—even if it's true right now.
And I’m angry that he challenged me on looking back at the past I’m so set on holding tightly onto. As if any of that matters right now! It shouldn't get to me—Brett is an asshole, and I shouldn't care what he thinks.
But I do.
And he’s right. I keep looking back, and that just makes me look stupid. Especially when he puts it the way he just did. But I have a reason I do things the way I do. And if he wasn’t so selfish to just do his own thing, we wouldn’t be stuck on this island in a storm right now.
We break through the trees and find what looks like a huge pile of rocks.
“There should be something here,” Brett says. He wipes the excess water from his face with his sleeve, but it's as wet as everything else.
He looks up toward the top of the hill, or mountain, or whatever it is, and nods to himself as if confirming it. He starts to climb.
“What are you doing?”
“There should be an opening here somewhere,” he says. “These rocks often create little hollows like caves.”
“So, you want us to sit inside rocks when there’s lightning everywhere?”
“It’ll be safe,” he says and keeps climbing.
I sigh and wait at the bottom to see what happens. The storm rages around us and I feel small and lost. I’m not going to admit to Brett that I’m terrified, but I am.
“I found one!” he calls down. “You have to climb up.”
“I can’t,” I call. “It’s slippery.”
“You’ll be fine. Just make sure you have three points touching the rock at all times. If you lift one hand or one foot, the others better be anchored so you don’t lose your grip.”
I blink up at him. The rain in my eyes stings, and my hair clings to my face. I want to get out of the water, but I don't know if I can do what Brett's asking me to do. I don't want to climb. I don't want to be in a situation where I have to survive.
I shake my head, trying to figure out if I can get out of here some other way. But I know there isn't another way. I can'tget out of this unless I do what he says. If I want to get out of the rain, I have to climb the damn rocks.
I start, using the same footing Brett used. I do what he says—I only lift one hand or one foot at a time and make sure everything else I steady. He might be an asshole, but he knows what he's talking about. I can be upset about that later.
When my foot slips, I cry out and cling to the rock. My heart hammers in my throat and I look up. The wet rocks look impossible to climb.
“You’re okay,” Brett calls. “Breathe, regroup, and try again.”
I squeeze my eyes shut to pull myself together. Three seconds is all I allow myself before I steel myself to try again.
I force myself to do what he says. I gulp air, trying not to drown in the water gushing down from above, and look around for the next foothold. It’s not very far up, but the storm makes it feel like I'm climbing a mountain. Slowly, I move up against the rock. I don't look down. If I do, I might slip. Or I might start to panic. It takes a lot to keep myself calm.
My arms and legs tremble, and by the time Brett reaches down and grabs my arm, I’m exhausted, feeling like I have nothing more to give.
He pulls me up easily, like I weigh nothing at all, and he helps me into a crevice.
"You did good," he says, nodding at me. "I knew you could do it."
